Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Achmad Sodiki suggested to NGOs engaged in advocacy issues such as palm plantations Watch, Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy, should be able to raise his organization to be a representation of the people on the plantation that acts to promote, by canceling the rules, and activities that endanger benefit the most disadvantaged communities in plantation issues.

This was conveyed by Sodiki as a keynote speech in the Discussion and Book Launch event with the theme "Conflict Plantation: Contestation Business and Human Rights" at the Acacia Hotel, Central Jakarta, Thursday (28/6). Due according to him, since the Law on Regional Autonomy, conflict resurfaced plantations especially in the area, as the head of the region was given full authority to regulate its territory in accordance with statutory regulations.

But unfortunately, full authority was allegedly abused by a number of owners who have the power or authority and policy in the region to provide a simple license to the owner of the company who carry out exploration and exploitation of oil fields there. "In facts the reins of power thought to have interest (interest) certain (the owners)," said Sodiki.

Interests, continued Sodiki, is if people want to be a leader and maintain the power, then they will find that the cost of that goal realized. As a result, they simply give permission to the owner of the plantation companies to clear land or natural resources are not used. "This is why these costs (to and maintain position) shall be charged against the existing natural resources," he explained.

This is evident, continued Sodiki, when there is a dispute in the General Election Court in particular came from eastern Indonesia, the disputing parties often carry a number of the person or witness is very large. Therefore, according to him, even though their lives are simple but they can spend billions of dollars to conduct the trial in the Court. According Sodiki, it is said that their pay is the owner of that will and has set up a company in the region. "In their records are otherwise charge, permission to establish the company could be revoked," recalls Vice Chairman of this Court.

With the same theme, the event organized by the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) also presents a number of speakers in the discussion of this activity. Among them, the Director ELSAM Indriaswati Dyah Saptaningrum, Vice Chairman of Komnas HAM Nurcholis, representatives of the Oil Watch Surambo Ahmad, and representatives from the police T. Yulianto.

In one presentation, Indriaswati said that the development of the plantation to the present conflict is increasing, equivalent to the increase in plantation area managed by the company. "The development of increasingly rising conflict, follow the development of the land area controlled by the investor," he said.

While on Nurcholis explanation, estates required to resolve the conflict created by the legal umbrella of a comprehensive rationale. This is because the oil conflict as crimes against humanity cannot be solved partially. "We cannot deal with private lands. All parties with an interest should be taken together to formulate new policies related to land management," he said. (Shohibul Umam / mh/Yazid.tr)